Heating system



Patented May 15, 1923.

- UNirEo STAT-ES EDWIN A. JONES, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

HEATING SYSTEM.

Application filed May 21, 1920. Serial No. 383,153.

To all whom it may concern: Be itknownthat'I, EDwm A. JoNns, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Heating Systerns, of whichthe following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable other-s skilled in the art to Which it apperta-ins to make and use the same.

This invention relates to steam and hot water heating systems.

One object of my invention'is to provide a steam or hot water heating system of novel construction in which it is possible to maintain a vacuum in the radiators or other heat radiating devices of the system with pressure on the supply lines leading to the radiators, thereby permitting the transmission of. greater portion of the heat units in the heat ingmedium to the air surrounding the radiators than is possible with the steam and hot Water heating systems now in general use. Another object. is to provide a heating system which insures a. high degree of efficiency of the radiators or, heat radiating devices of the system under all conditions of piping installation without the use of packed valves. I

To this end I have devised a heating system wherein the supply of the heating mediumto a radiator or heat'radiating device of the system is regulated by a governing device of novel construction controlled by v the exhaust or discharge of the heating medium from said radiator or heat radiating device. Briefly described, my improved system comprises radiators, coils or other suitable heat radiating devices, a supply line and a return line combined with each radiator, a packless valve in the supply line of each radiator for governing ,the admission of the heating medium to the radiator and a device arranged inclose proximity to said valve and adapted to be operated or rendered operative bythe escape of the heating me dium from said radiaton for positively actuating the movable part of said valve that governs the admissionof the heating medium to the radiator..

Figure 1 of the drawings is a vertical sectionalview, illustrating one type of valve and automatic regulating device'that can be used inmy improved heating system for automatically controlling the admission of the heating medium to a radiator or heat radiating device of the system; and

Figures 2, 3 and 4 are diagrammatic views, illustrating various waysof connecting the supply and return lines with the radiators of'the system.

My invention is applicable to both steam and hot water heating systems, and therefore, I havev used the term heating medium? to include both steam and'hot' water. In

Figure 2 of the drawings I have illustrated a Figure 3 illustrates a system wherein the supply line 1 of each radiator is connected to one end of the radiator at the top of the radiator, and the return line 2 leads from the same end of the radiator at the bottom of the radiator. a c

Figure 4: illustrates a system wherein the supply line 1 of each radiator isconnected opposite end I to one end of the radiator at the top of the radiator and the return line 2 leads from the opposite end of the radiator at the bottom of the radiator. Each radiator ofthe sys tem 1s provided with a manually-operable valve 3 for controlling the supply of the heating medium to the radiator.

Each radiator of the system is provided with a packless valve arranged in the supply line 1 leading to the radiator and equippedwith a movable member B that governs the supply of the heating medium to the radiator. A device 0 adapted to be operated or rendered operative by the escape of the heating medium through the return line 2 leading from the radiator is arranged in close, proximity to said valve for positively actuating the movable element B of the valve so as to automatically diminish .or cut off the supply of the heating medium to the radiator. Various types or kinds of packless valves can be used and various types orkinds of devices can be usedfor actuating the movable controlling elements of said valves. Therefore, I do not Wish it to be understood that my invention'is limited to a system provided with valves B of the kind herein shown, or valve actuating de vices of the kind herein shown. I

In Figure 1 I have illustrated one type of valve and valve actuating device that can be used in my improved system, the valve comprising a casing 4 arranged in the supply line 1 of the radiator with which the valve is associated and provided with a partition 5 having a port 6 therein that is surrounded by a seat on which the movable element B of the valve presses, so as to cut oil the supply of the heating medium to the radiator. The device that is used to positively actuate the movable elemento-E the valve is arranged in close proximity to the valve and consists of a thermostat provided with a diaphragm C and a bulb 8 that contains a volatile substance, which, upon being subyected to heat, expands and thus causes the'dia phragm G to move in such a direction that it seats the movable element l3 of the valve or moves it positively towards its seat so as to diminish'the supply of the heating medium to the rediator, the movement of the diaphragm being imparted to the movable element B of the valve by means of a pusher 7 which is arranged in alignment with the steam 7 of said valve. The bulb 8 is arranged in the return line 2 leading from the radiator so as to cause the-position or con dition of the element B of the valve to be governed automatically by the escape of the heating medium from the radiator.

In a steam heating system constructed in accordance with my invention, when the steam in a radiator A of the system is in excess of the condensingpower of the radiator, the surplus steam which escapes or discharges from the radiator through the return line 2 will act on the bulb 8 of the thermostat and thus cause the diaphragm C to move in such a direction as to" close or partially close the movable element B of the inlet valve of said radiator, thereby cutting off or diminishing the supply of steam to the radiator. In a hot water system constructed in accordance with my invention, the water which escapes from a radiator of the system through the return line 2 leading a from the radiator will act on the bulb 8 of the thermostat when said water is above a predetermined temperature, and thus cause the inlet valve to be closed or partially closed by the movement of the diaphragm C. In a heating system of the construction above described it is possible to maintain a vacuum in the radiators or heat radiating de' vices of the system with pressure on the supply lines leading to the radiators, thereby permitting the transmission of a greater portion of the heat units in the heatmg medium to the air surrounding the radiators than is possible with any of thevarious types of steam and hot water heating systems now in general use. Such a system permits the use of an open return system of piping with- I out the use of return traps or packed valves,

and moreover, it enables the highest efficiency of theradia'tors to'be attained under all conditions of piping installations. In my improved system the air surrounding a radiator or heat radiating deviceoii the system will be maintained at a more even temperature than is possible with the, heating systaining the'surrounding air atan eve-n temperature is based on the fact that as the air surrounding a radiator increases in temperature, the radiatordecreases its condensation, causing an excess or surplus of steam,

the discharge of which from the radiator causes the movable elementB of the inlet valve of the radiatorsto close automatically the supply line 1 leading to the radiator. When the air decreases in temperature the condensing capacity of'theradiator'is increased, causing transmission of more heat,

which, inturn, raises the temperature of the surrounding, air.

In order to eliminate the possibility of the diaphragm C being affected by the heating medium which is supplied to the radiator through the supply' line 1, Ipr'e fer to arrange an air chamber D between the diaphragm C and the casing 4 of the valve B, said chamber D being provided with air inlet holes 9, as shown in Figurel. In order to overcome the necessity of using'a packed joint at the point where the stem 7 of the valve projects through the casing 4 of'the valve, I prefer to arrange a diaphragm E outside of the casing 4: of the valve in sub stantially parallel relation to the wall of said casing through which the stem 7 of said valve passes, the peripheral edge portion of said diaphragm E being clampedbetween the outer wall of the air chamber, D and a gasket 10 that bears against the valve casing 4, as shown in Figure 1. The diaphragm E bears against the stem 7 of the movable element B. of the valve and the pusher 7 is interposed between the diaphragms E andC. The thermostat. as; an entirety is clamped between the outer. wall of the air chamber D and a housing 11 that edge portion of the th'ermostatso astoiproduce a tight joint between said parts}; The member that forms the outer wall of the air chamber D is provided with a spider 9? in which the pusher 7 is guided. In the thermostatic valveishown infFigiure 1 the casings that forms part of. the supply line,

the housing 11 which forms art of themturn line, and the ring-shape member interposed between said parts that forms the.

outer wall of the air chamber D, are clamped together by bolts 13, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 1,' but it will, of course, be obvious that the inlet valves of the system and the controlling devices that are associated with same can be constructed in various ways without departing from the spirit of my invention. I

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A heating system, comprising heat radiating elements each of which is provided with an inlet and an outlet, a packless valve associated with the inlet of each heat radiating element, a heat operated governing device associated with the outlet of each heat radiating element and combined with said valve in such a way as to form a unitary structure, means actuated by said governing device for positively actuating the movable part of the valve that controls the supply of the heating medium to the heating element, and means for preventing said heat operated governing element from being affected by the heat of the heating medium supplied to the heat radiating element through said inlet.

2. A heating system, comprising heat radiating elements, a supply line and a return line associated with each of said heat radiating elements, a packless valve in the supply line of each heat radiating element, a governing device in the return line of each heat radiating element operated by the heat of the heating medium and arranged in close proximity to said valve for positively actuating the movable part of said valve that controls the admission of the heating medium to the heat radiating element, and an air chamber arranged between said governing device and the casing of said valve for the purpose described, said valve casing, air chamber, and governing device being combined into a single structure. Y

3. A heating system, comprising heat radiating devices, a'supply line and a return line associated with eachof said heat radiating devices, a packless valve in the supply line of each heat radiating device provided with a movable element and equipped with a casing having a flexible wall to which said movable element is connected, a heat operated means arranged in the return line of each heat'radiating device in proximity to the flexible wall of said valve'for posi: tively actuating the movable element of the valve soas to regulate the supply of the stat arranged in the return line of each heat radiating device in proximity to the valve in the supply line of said device, means interposed between said flexible wall and said thermostat for automatically changing theposition of the movable element of said valve, and means for preventing said thermostat from being a-fl'ected by the heat of the heating medium flowing through said supply line.

EDWIN A. J ONES. 

